Red and Green
by Iscea
Summary: Pidge never imagined she would fall for one of her teammates—she had her family to save and a universe to protect after all—but somehow she did. She just never expected in her wildest dreams it would be Keith. (One-Shot series)


**Red and Green**

Pidge never imagined she would fall for one of her teammates—she had her family to save and a universe to protect after all—but somehow she did. She just never expected in her wildest dreams it would be _Keith_.

 **Having watched some of the original _Voltron_ , I'm definitely a fan of Keith/Allura, but I also think the idea of Keith/Pidge is adorable, and so is Shiro/Allura so . . . tadaa!**

 **This is my first VLD story, so please let me knew if I got the characterizations and personalities right.**

 **Ages: Shiro-23, Allura-19, Hunk-18, Lance-17, Keith-17, Pidge-15 . . . Coran is Coran, aka Space Uncle!**

 **I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender**

* * *

 **Chapter 1—Of Dresses and Gowns**

"I feel ridiculous."

"Don't be silly, Pidge. I'm sure you look fine."

Pidge nervously poked her head behind the closet door she was currently hiding behind. Across the room, Allura was standing beside her large, ornate dresser, brush in hand and blue eyes shining almost eagerly as she patiently waited for Pidge to come out. The princess sent her a small, encouraging smile as she motioned for Pidge to move away from her hiding place, but Pidge wasn't having any of it. Defiantly, she shook her head.

"No. No way. The guys will laugh at me if they see me like this."

"They're not going to laugh at you, Pidge." Allura said with a small chuckle. She sounded almost amused by Pidge's sudden rush of paranoia.

"Lance probably will." Pidge muttered darkly, already picturing the blue paladin's reaction in her head.

"And if he does I'll break his jaw." Allura replied breezily, as if breaking Lance's jaw was a regular occurrence—which it probably _was_ , considering it was _Lance_. "Now please come out. We need to get you ready or we're going to be late."

Pidge sighed, her head thunking against the edge of the closet door as she gave Allura a helpless look.

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?"

"No." Allura said with a wide grin as she patted the empty seat in front of the dresser. "Now come sit down, so I can do your hair."

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Pidge morosely edged away from the closet door, and Allura—the same Allura that barked orders and threw Galra soldiers with her _bare hands_ —practically _squealed_ in delight when Pidge finally emerged from her hiding spot.

"Oh, Pidge, you look so pretty. I knew my old dress would look good on you."

Pidge swallowed and nervously wrung her hands in the folds of her dress, as she carefully made her way across the room and tried not to break her ankles in the heels Allura had given her earlier.

"I don't know, Allura." Pidge began softly as she sat down in front of the dresser. A moment later, Allura was brushing through her short hair. "I still feel ridiculous."

The dress Allura had given her was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. It was a light green color that greatly reminded her of spring back on Earth, and the fabric was soft, like silk, and featherlight against her skin. The dress was strapless, and it hung closely to the still developing curves of her waist, but it was still modest, and covered her up nicely. The dress was also long, and flowed loosely to the floor, and Pidge had to pick it up slightly so she didn't trip over it.

All in all, it reminded her of something a Disney Princess would wear; not her.

"Nonsense, Pidge. You look beautiful, honest." Allura said with a small smile as she placed the brush down, and Pidge watched through the reflection of the mirror as Allura began rearranging her short hair into something that didn't resemble a bird's nest.

Pidge just sighed as she watched the princess work. Like her, Allura was also dressed up, but where Pidge felt awkward in such ornate clothing, Allura seemed to be in her element—aside from flying ships and pounding Galra soldiers to a pulp that is.

The princess was wearing a light blue gown that seemed to shimmer whenever she walked or even moved. Her silvery hair was braided at the top, while the rest flowed down her shoulders in elegant curls past her waist. Allura had even added some makeup. It was nothing to flashy, just enough to bring out her stunning blue eyes, but it made Pidge feel small in comparison. If Pidge was 'beautiful', then Allura was positively _radiant_.

"Alright, I think I'm done." Allura announced roughly fifteen minutes later. "What do you think?"

Pidge looked up from where she had been staring at the floor, and blinked when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair had been done similar to Allura's, only not as elaborate. There was a small braid that traveled along the side of her head, and the rest of her hair had been curled. The ends of her hair lightly brushed against the top of her shoulders whenever she turned her head.

Pidge blinked again. After several months of masquerading as a boy at the Garrison and fighting evil aliens in space, Pidge had almost forgotten what she really looked like under her baggy clothes and Voltron uniform.

She looked like Katie again.

"I look . . ."

"You look beautiful." Allura said once again, her blue eyes filled with pride as she gently squeezed Pidge's shoulder.

Pidge had only ever had her older brother, and she loved him dearly, but breifly she wondered if this what it felt like to have an older sister.

"Thank you." Pidge replied with a soft smile.

Allura nodded before she returned to her dresser and began digging through one of her draws.

"Alright, all we have left is to do your makeup, and then we're good to go." Allura said as she pulled out a bag that Pidge could only assume was filled with makeup. "I'm going to need you to take off your glasses for me. It's actually a probably good idea if you leave them here for the rest of the night."

At this, Pidge stilled.

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I'll keep them on my face if you don't mind."

Allura paused as she held up a bottle of who-knows-what, and gave the green paladin a _look_.

"You and I both know you don't actually need those glasses to see, Pidge." The princess said matter-of-factly as she began to unscrew the cap. "This is a formal gathering, and your glasses don't exactly go with your dress, so I'd really appreciate it if you left them here."

Pidge just crossed her arms. These were her brother's glasses, and she wasn't about to take them off for any reason unless it was to get in her Voltron uniform.

"No."

Allura merely raised a thin, silver eyebrow.

* * *

Pidge hears them before she sees them.

"Man, what's taking them so _long_?" Lance's voice drifts up the stairs as Pidge sulkily follows Allura towards where the rest of their friends are gathered. Every now and then Allura would glance back to make sure she was still there—and _hadn't gone back for her glasses_ —and Pidge refused the urge to scowl as she focused on not tripping over her own feet.

"They're girls, Lance. They take a while to get ready." Hunk replies back a moment later, his voice a soft timbre.

"I know, but it feels like we've been waiting for _hours_."

Pidge rolls her eyes. She can practically _hear_ Lance's pout.

"We've been waiting for _ten minutes_ , Lance."

"Shut up, mullet! I wasn't talking to you!"

" _Boys_." Shiro warns a second later, and Pidge sighs as she and Allura turn the last corner of the staircase, and were met the other male members of their team.

They were gathered in the main hallway, each looking vaguely bored as they waited. Only Coran seemed relatively unfazed—he was probably used to this kind of thing, Pidge deduced in the back of her mind—and the older man smiled when he caught sight of them coming down the staircase.

"Princess, Pidge! Why, don't you two look absolutely stunning this evening!" Coran chirped happily as he held out his hand for them to take as he helped them step off the last couple of stairs.

"Thank you, Coran." Allura said with a smile. Her eyes then roamed over the rest of the paladins, who had all strangely gone still for some reason, and she nodded in approval at their new attire. "You did a good job dressing them up as well."

Coran let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, well it certainly wasn't easy, princess."

At this, Pidge curiously glanced over at her fellow paladin's. Each of them were wearing a fancy, black tunic—one that kind of reminded Pidge of what princes wore back in the renaissance era—and black slacks. The tunics had white

embroidery that covered the front and decorated the ends of their sleeves. Lastly, each of the paladins had a sash that match the color of their respective lion wrapped around their waist, completing the look.

As she finished her observation, Pidge realized that her friends had gone awfully quiet. Other than Coran, no one had said a word. Glancing at their faces, Pidge felt her heart stutter when she realized _why_.

They were staring at _her_ , looking completely gobsmacked in the process, as if they couldn't believe it was Pidge—their techie, sarcastic, tomboyish teammate—standing before them wearing a dress.

Pidge could feel the blood rushing to her face in embarrassment as she nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She didn't look that different did she?

"Uh, guys?"

It was like a spell had been lifted. At the sound of her voice they all blinked and immediately came crashing back to reality.

And Lance, unsurprisingly, was the first one to open his mouth.

"Woah, Pidge. You actually look like a girl!"

Pidge felt her eye twitch, but before she could march over there and slap the blue paladin, both Keith and Hunk quickly jabbed their elbows into Lance's stomach, causing the other teen to bend over with a painful wheeze.

" _Dude_ , you don't say that to a girl." Hunk whispered harshly at the blue paladin while Keith crossed his arms and glared at his rival, looking unsympathetic as Lance continued to wheeze on the floor.

Pidge was still glaring at the blue paladin when she felt a large hand on her shoulder, and suddenly Shiro was standing to her left, looking apologetic as he gave her a soft smile.

"What Lance _means_ to say is that you look nice, Pidge." Shiro reassured her gently before raising a sly eyebrow in Lance's direction. " _Right_ , Lance?"

"R-right." The blue paladin managed to say between lungful gulps of air.

Pidge huffed as she stared at her fellow paladins, but a small smile formed on her lips as her irritation began to fade. _Boys_ , she thought with exasperated fondness. She really shouldn't have expected anything different from them.

Once Lance had successfully gotten his breath back, Allura hurriedly ushered them out the door, and they were off.

* * *

Gelus, Pidge had decided, was a very beautiful planet.

The small planet was covered in large, gigantic trees that seemed to stretch for miles into the pink sky, with leaves that were nearly as big as the Green and Red Lions. Rivers—larger than even the Mississippi River back on Earth—cut across Gelus's green landscape, the water clear and smooth like glass. Pidge had been half tempted to run her hand through the water to watch the ripple effect it would create.

And as of yesterday, it was now free from Zarkon's reign thanks to Voltron.

With a small sigh, Pidge gently pushed herself up from the balcony she had been leaning against and turned towards the door that lead back inside, where music and laughter could be heard as the party continued in full swing.

They were currently in the royal palace of Gelus, where the king of the Gelusians had decided to throw a celebration party as a thank you to the paladins of Voltron for saving their planet. At first, none of them had been particularly excited—they all remembered what happened last time there was a party—but Allura, being the diplomatic princess she was, had accepted the invitation without a second thought. When Shiro had confronted her about it afterwards back in the Castle of Lions, Allura had merely stated that they needed to create allies in order to defeat Zarkon, and if they needed to attend a party in order to do that then so be it.

None of them could really argue against the princess's logic, so here they were, twenty-four hours later.

Knowing that she had probably disappeared for long enough, Pidge decided to head back inside before Shiro or Allura came looking for her. Closing the balcony door softly behind her, the green paladin quickly glanced over the crowded ballroom, curious to see where her friends had ended up. She easily spotted Allura's striking silver hair towards the back, and she seemed to be in a conversation with the Captain of the Royal Guard, who had helped them during yesterday's battle. Pidge then blinked when she saw that Shiro was there as well, standing to Allura's right.

Tilting her head, Pidge hummed as she eyed her two friends thoughtfully.

 _Those two were standing awfully close to one another_. . .

"Hey, Pidge!"

Pidge jumped at the sound her name, and whirled around to see Hunk waving her over from where he stood by the food table. Lance was there, too, but he seemed to be more interested in the two Gelusian girls he was talking to rather than the food judging from the stupid, flirtatious grin on his face.

With a slight roll of her eyes, Pidge made her way over towards her friends.

"Hey, guys," Pidge greeted once she had reached the table, "enjoying the party?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely!" Hunk said with a bright smile, before holding out his plate. "You should seriously try some of this, Pidge. It tastes a whole lot better than Coran's weird food goo."

Pidge warily eyed the pink looking . . . zucchini _thing_ on her friend's plate, and quickly shook her head.

"Uh, no thanks, big guy, I'm not very hungry right now." She said lamely. Pidge then glanced over towards Lance, and scowled when she saw that he was _still_ flirting with with the two Gelusian girls, and completely ignoring her as he bragged about his flying skills.

Knowing a lost cause when she saw one, Pidge ignored the blue paladin and glanced around to see where the last two remaining members of their team had ended up. She spotted Coran not too far from the food table, and she laughed at what she saw. The older man was animatedly talking with a bunch of Gelusian children, no doubt regaling them with fantastical stories as their mothers watched off to the side, smiling in amusement.

Which only left Keith.

Pidge's brow furrowed as she once again searched the large ballroom, trying and failing to spot the red paladin's dark, black hair. She couldn't say she was surprised, though. Keith was terrible as he was useless when it came to social gatherings such as this. He had probably snuck off somewhere to hide once they had all went there separate ways, or maybe even went back to the Castle of Lions for a late night flight in Red. Knowing Keith, it honestly wouldn't surprise her, but Allura wouldn't be happy once she found out.

Suddenly feeling bored, and a little bit thirsty, Pidge decided to go get herself a drink. Giving Hunk a quick wave to let him know she was leaving, and one last irritated look towards Lance, she headed over towards the refreshment table, her heels softly clicking against the sleek, tiled floor.

She was halfway there when a new song began to play overhead. It was a bit softer than the others, with drums beating lowly like thunder in the background before a soft, yet spirited melody began to filter in, steadily growing louder and louder. Almost instantly, a good number of Gelusians stopped what they were doing and headed towards the dance floor. Men and woman broke off into twos—couples, Pidge realized distantly—as they danced and twirled to the beat of the song, cheering and clapping joyfully.

"It's called the the Damhsa de Amare." A deep, and slightly accented voice said somewhere off to her right.

Startled, Pidge turned her head to see a Gelusian male coming to stand right beside her. He had the same light-blue skin and as the others of his species, and his long, platinum blonde hair was weaved into a thick braid. His bright blue eyes glanced curiously down at her, and as Pidge studied his face she realized that he looked young, probably somewhere around Keith's or Lance's age, making him just a little bit older than her.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you, miss." The teen said with an apologetic smile. "I saw you watching the dance, and thought you looked curious."

"Oh, it's no problem, really." Pidge reassured him with a small wave of her hand. Turning back towards the dance, she softly repeated his words. "Damhsa de Amare. What does that mean?"

The Gelusian teen's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "In your dialect I believe it means the dance of the lovers."

At this, Pidge could feel a faint blush beginning to form on her cheeks. "Oh."

Her new companion merely laughed, amused by her response.

Clearing her throat, Pidge fought down her blush and gave the young Gelusian man a friendly smile.

"My name's Pidge, by the way." She said with a slight wave of her hand.

"Believe me, Miss Pidge, I know who you are." The Gelusian teen said with a smile. "Though, no one ever told me the pilot of the Green Lion was so lovely in person."

Pidge's blush instantly came back at full force, and she was sure her cheeks were redder than before.

"Um, t-thanks." She stuttered, not really knowing what else to say.

"You are very welcome, Miss Pidge." The Gelusian teen simply smiled at her before placing a hand on his chest and giving her a slight now. "My name is Prince Dhiren of Gelus. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Pidge froze at the word 'prince', though inwardly she was screaming. Allura had enforced the importance of proper etiquette regarding royalty some time ago to her and the other paladins—something about them not accidentally instigating a war due to their lack of manners—and yet here Pidge was, casually talking to a prince as if he was some guy she met on the street. Allura would kill her if she ever found out.

"Y-you're the _prince_! I-I had no idea—oh my gosh I'm so sor—!"

"It's perfectly alright, Miss Pidge." Dhiren replied with a small laugh, cutting off her rambling. "My father is the stickler for details such as formalities, not me."

Pidge couldn't help but sigh in relief, thankful that she hadn't accidentally offended him.

An awkward silence soon fell over them, and not knowing what else to do, Pidge turned her attention back to the dance. Men and women were smiling as they twirled around each other, their moves graceful and elegant as they moved back and forth, their limbs flowing almost like water. As she watched, Pidge briefly caught a glimpse of familiar silver hair amongst the dancing couples. Peering closer, Pidge's eyes widened when she finally caught sight of Allura, and _who_ she was dancing with.

It was _Shiro_.

A small smile formed on her lips as she watched the two. Though he wasn't trying to show it, Shiro seemed absolutely lost as he tried to keep up with the song's quick rhythm, but he was smiling, obviously enjoying the moment despite his lack of choreography. Allura, however, was laughing as Shiro twirled her around, her dress shimmering in the light, and for a moment Pidge wondered if she had just caught a glimpse of the young girl Allura used to be before Zarkon destroyed her home planet.

"Would you like to know more about the Damhsa de Amare?"

Pidge glanced back towards Dhiren, having almost forgotten he was still there. The prince's blue eyes were curiously flickering between Pidge and Shiro and Allura. When he realized that he had caught her attention he politely cleared his throat.

"I couldn't help but notice you watching your friends." Dhiren explained shortly as he tilted his head towards the princess and black paladin. "I could tell you more about it if you like?"

Pidge watched as Shiro and Allura once again disappeared into the crowd, and a moment later she nodded.

"Sure. I'd like that."

The prince brightened considerably at her answer. Immediately he began to regale her of the dance's origin—something about a god falling for a mortal princess roughly five hundred thousand years ago—and despite the typical romantic cliché, Pidge listened with rapt attention as the song ended and a new one began to play. Every now and then he would pause to happily answer any of her questions, but for the most part he mostly talked and Pidge listened, intrigued by the story despite herself.

However, as the night progressed Pidge began to notice there was something _off_ about the prince. He had seemed friendly enough, but as he continued his tale about the Damhsa de Amare, Pidge realized that his eyes never strayed from her face, and there was a slight sharpness to his gaze that suddenly made her feel like a mouse being circled by a large jungle cat—a predator stalking its prey. It was unsettling to say the least, and though Pidge knew she could take care of herself just fine if he tried anything funny, it still made her shift uncomfortably on her feet.

Dhiren paused in his storytelling when a new song began to play overhead, and he instantly perked up.

"By the Dhiaga, this is my favorite song!" The prince then gave her an exuberant grin, though the sharpness in his gaze intensified as he held out his hand. "Please, Miss Pidge, you must come dance with me!"

Pidge frowned as she glanced between Dhiren's offered hand and the dancing couples on the dance floor, and nervously rubbed her arm.

"I don't know . . ." Pidge said quietly, and Dhiren's grin dimmed slightly.

"Please, Miss Pidge, I must insist."

"Look, I really don't wan—ah! H-hey!"

Pidge was suddenly interrupted when Dhiren wrapped one of his arms around her waist—as if he were her _damn boyfriend_ —and she barely had time to blink before he began to drag her towards the dance floor, smiling all the way.

"I promise I'm a great dancer, Miss Pidge. You'll have fun, I swear!"

Pidge's hands clenched into fists as she restrained the urge to punch the prince's face in, while simultaneously trying not to trip over her dress. Who did this guy think he was, toting her around as if she suddenly belonged to him or something? Not liking where this was going, Pidge's heart pounded furiously in her chest as she tried to wiggle out of his grip. Frivolously she glanced around, hoping to spot any one of her teammates for help. As much as she would like to slap Dhiren for his manhandling, doing so would probably have dire consequences. The last thing Voltron needed was another war on their hands because Pidge couldn't keep her temper in check.

Still squirming, Pidge finally managed to slip out of the prince's grasp, but before she could even back away Dhiren grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Turning around, Pidge threw him an annoyed look, and tugged insistently on her arm. Dhiren, however, seemed genuinely puzzled by her behavior, though the sharpness of his gaze never wavered.

"Please don't fight me, Miss Pidge." Dhiren said gently, almost pleadingly, and if Pidge didn't know better she could've sworn the prince was blushing. "I find you very appealing, and simply wish to dance with you."

Pidge tugged on her wrist, hoping to slip free, but Dhiren's grip was firm, and in the back of her mind Pidge was beginning to feel that things were starting to get out of hand.

"That's, uh, very sweet, but I don't think—"

"It'll just be for one song, I promise."

"Please, just l-let—let go—!"

"Don't be afraid, I merely wish to—"

Suddenly there was a large, pale hand on Dhiren's wrist, cutting him off, and Pidge could only stare in a mixture of surprise and relief as hard, violet-gray eyes glared at the prince underneath dark, shaggy bangs.

Never before had she been so happy to see her stoic, broody teammate in her entire life.

"She said to let go." Keith said sharply, his voice cutting through the air like a knife, cold and unforgiving, and Pidge blinked, surprised, and somewhat alarmed by his harsh tone.

Keith stood firmly between her and Dhiren, and though his stance seemed to convey a sense of cold, calculated calmness, Pidge could faintly see the tenseness in the red paladin's shoulders, and the raging fire burning in his eyes for what it was. He was angry, that much she could tell. After spending weeks fighting side by side together, Pidge could easily recognize the signs, but this wasn't a battlefield where he could unleash his fury on a swarm of Galra soldiers. They were at a party on a foreign planet, the king's personal guests.

And Keith had the king's son—the _prince_ —in a deadly grip while glaring daggers into his head, looking five seconds away from punching his nose in.

Recognizing the precarious situation they were currently in, Pidge gently placed her free hand on Keith's arm, feeling the tense muscle underneath the fabric, and lightly tugged at his sleeve.

"Keith, _don't_." She whispered, her voice pleading as she tried to catch his gaze, but his eyes refused to meet her's as he continued to glare at Dhiren, and she nervously bit her lip. She liked to think Keith wouldn't start a fight at a _party_ of all places, but judging from the fiery look in his eyes, she couldn't be sure.

If it did come to blows, Keith would undoubtedly mop the floor with the Gelusian prince, and she doubted the king would highly appreciate his son getting creamed after he had kindly invited them into his home.

Dhiren must've realized the same thing, because he faltered under Keith's burning gaze, and he hesitantly released his grip on Pidge's wrist.

"My apologies." Dhiren replied regretfully, looking somewhat abashed as Keith released his arm, and the prince nervously eyed him out of the corner of his eye, as if Keith would attack him at any moment. "I got a little carried away. Believe me, Red Paladin, when I say I had no intention of harming your friend."

Keith's eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. "I don't care." He stated flatly. "On our planet it's wrong to lay a hand on a girl without her consent."

"I see." The prince replied with a frown, and he apologetically bowed his head towards Pidge. "Please forgive my uncouth actions towards you, Miss Pidge. I did not mean to offend you."

"It's fine, your _highness_." Pidge said as she rubbed the feeling back into her wrist, and she pointedly met Keith's still simmering gaze as she empathized the last word of her sentence.

For a moment, the red paladin seemed almost confused. He was still angry, there was no doubt about that, but her words seemed to have distracted him, and with furrowed brows he briefly glanced back and forth between her and Dhiren. It didn't take him long to finally connect the dots—Pidge could practically see the wheels turning in his head—and a moment later his eyes widened when he finally understood exactly _who_ he had been so close to decking in the face, and the repercussions it would've undoubtedly had.

Pidge inwardly sighed. Honestly, where would any of these boys be without her to keep them in line?

"Please, Paladins of Voltron, is there any way I can make this up to you?"

And just like that, Keith's gaze snapped back to the Gelusian prince, his surprise gone and his previous ire returned as he once again continued to glare at Dhiren.

"No."

Pidge blanched at her friend's one-worded reply—they were trying to make allies for crying out loud—but before she could admonish him, Keith abruptly turned on his heel and began to lead her away, his hand surprisingly gentle on her back as he maneuvered them through the crowd. It took a few minutes, but eventually Pidge found herself back outside on the balcony. The cool, nightly breeze whipped loosely around her hair and the skirt of her dress, and as she looked out across the landscape, she could see the large rivers gently reflecting the light of three moons that hung in the clear, night sky.

"You okay?" Keith asked her as he closed the doors behind them, the tension in his shoulders slowly beginning to melt away now that they were alone and away from the loud noises of the party. There was an unusual glimmer of concern in his eyes as he approached her, and Pidge couldn't but feel slightly touched.

 _So there is a heart underneath that tough guy façade._

She was joking of course. She knew that Keith considered her and the others his friends. She, Hunk, and Lance merely liked to give him a hard time, much to his annoyance.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a small smile. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she sent him a grateful look. "Thank you, Keith. I was really beginning to get worried for a moment there."

"Don't buy his friendly act for a moment, Pidge." Keith advised her as he moved to lean his back against the balcony railing. "That guy was a creep."

"Yes, he was," Pidge quickly agreed with a nod of her head, though she still gave her teammate a reproachful look, "but he was also the _prince_ , and I don't think Allura would've been very happy if you punched his face in when we're trying to gain allies."

Keith had the decency to look somewhat sheepish.

"Yeah, well, prince or not he shouldn't have grabbed you like that." Keith said adamantly as he turned to look at the distant landscape, the wind lightly tousling his shaggy hair. His brows were still furrowed, and Pidge faintly realized that he was still unhappy about what had happened between her and Dhiren.

Pidge's smile softened, and she moved to stand next to him, gently resting her forearms on the stone railing. Keith was never one to let anything slip past his stoic features, so she found it somewhat sweet that he seemed so determined to defend her honor. Shiro would be so proud to know that his chivalrous behavior was beginning to spread to the other Paladins.

Pidge then froze in slight horror.

God, _Shiro_. They joked about him being 'space dad', but if he found out about this he would _kill_ Dhiren.

Time for a different topic.

"So," she began, lightly nudging Keith with her elbow, "where have you been all night?"

Keith gave her a weird look, as if she had suddenly spouted gibberish.

"Here?" He replied slowly, unclear where Pidge was getting at, and looking absolutely lost as he gave her a blank stare in return.

With a sigh, Pidge suddenly realized that she probably would have to elaborate, considering how most phrases tended to go over the red paladin's head.

"What I mean is that I haven't seen you all night." She explained while her eyes regarded him curiously with a slight tilt of her head. "You practically disappeared the moment we walked through the door. So where've you been?"

"Oh." Understanding dawned on his eyes, and he simply jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I've been hanging out on the roof for the past hour or so now."

Pidge's eyes nearly boggled out of her head at his reply, and she craned her head to look up at the red, bricked covering of the castle, inwardly calculating the amount of effort he must've used to get up there.

She gave him an incredulous look when she determined that it must've taken _a lot_.

"The roof." Pidge said flatly.

"Yeah," Keith awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes warily glanced over towards the door, where muffled music could be heard playing in the background, "I'm not exactly good with parties, or anything sociable really. They're too loud."

Pidge raised a brow. "So you climbed up the top of a castle?"

"It's quieter up there." Keith said somewhat defensively, crossing his arms.

" _Right_." Pidge replied with a slight scoff, her eyes gleaming knowingly in the dark as her mouth lifted up into a slight smirk. "You just wanted to make sure that Allura wouldn't find you and drag back down here."

Keith sent her a mildly annoyed look, but otherwise didn't say a word. Pidge's smirk widened. He didn't have to deign her with a reply; his silence told her everything she needed to know.

"So what were you doing inside before you saved me from _Mr. Creepy_?" She asked, still smiling, but also genuinely curious of his answer. He had literally came out of nowhere when he rescued her from Prince Dhiren, and if he had been up on the roof as he said, he must've came down for a reason.

"I got thirsty, so I went to grab a drink." Keith replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

At his words, Pidge couldn't help but remember the dryness of her own tongue. Between the Damhsa de Amare, and meeting Dhiren, she had totally forgotten about getting herself a drink from the refreshment table. Hunk was probably starting to wonder where she had disappeared to.

"Funny, that's exactly where I was headed before . . . well, _you-know-what_ happened."

Keith carefully eyed her out of the corner of his eye.

"I could go get us some if you want." He offered, looking somewhat awkward and uncertain as he shifted on his feet.

Pidge stared at her teammate in quite facsination, taken aback aback by his bout of sudden generosity, and not for the first time that night she wondered what was going on inside his head. To her, Keith was a puzzle, a walking conundrum for her inquisitive mind to figure out. He had left the Garrison weeks before she had even stepped inside, and all she had to go on was stories she had heard from Lance and Hunk—though mostly Lance, and she was pretty those greatly exaggerated.

He was a mystery, to put it shortly, and one she had yet to solve.

But until then . . .

"Sure," Pidge said with a smile, "I'd like that."

Keith nodded, and pushed back from the railing, standing to his full height.

"I'll be back." He replied simply as he walked over towards the door, and a moment later he disappeared back inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Pidge sighed at the now empty balcony, idly tapping her fingers against the railing. Now that Keith had left, the silence remaining was almost deafening, so with nothing better to do, she leisurely began to walk around, curiously looking up at the castle looming above her and studying its architecture. Odd, yet strangely beautiful murals were carved into the palace's stone walls, and Pidge reached over to lightly traced the image with her finger, enthralled by the foreign design.

 _I wonder if there's a story behind it?_ She mused quietly, giving the mural one last thoughtful look before continuing her trek around the balcony.

She came to a sudden halt, though, when she heard voices whispering from a nearby window.

"Did you _see_ Prince Dhiren talking to that human girl earlier?" A haughty, feminine voice murmured underneath the music and laughter.

"Yes, I did," another whispered back just as quietly, also feminine, "I believe she is the green paladin of Voltron. Prince Dhiren seemed very _intrigued_ by her from what I saw."

Pidge blinked. They were talking about _her_.

With a frown, Pidge silently crept closer the window. The curtains were drawn, so she was unable to see who exactly was talking about her behind her back, but she could hear them easily enough to understand what they were saying. Placing a hand against the cool, rough stone of the castle wall, Pidge's brows furrowed as they continued their gossiping, blissfully unaware of her presence.

"Tch, I can't imagine _why_." The first voice said with a dramatic scoff. "She wasn't awfully pretty. Compared to that princess of their's, she's not anything special."

Pidge flinched as if she had been struck. Even though she had thought the same thing earlier that evening, it still physically _hurt_ to hear someone else—someone she didn't even _know_ —say it out loud, and in such a blunt manner. Letting out a shaky breath, she rapidly blinked past the sudden burning behind her eyes, and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut as she focused back on the two women's conversation.

"Agreed. The poor thing looked so awkward outside her Voltron uniform."

"She certainly lacks the delicate and refined upbringing of ladies such as ourselves, doesn't she? Honestly, I don't know _what_ Prince Dhiren was thinking. He could do _so_ much better."

Pidge bit her lip, biting back the sudden swell of emotions building up inside her as her face crumbled. The women's words tore into her like sharp knives, piercing her heart as every doubt she'd ever thought about herself came to the surface, rearing its ugly head. She knew she wasn't stunningly gorgeous like Allura. Even as Katie, with her long hair and her mom dressing her up in girly clothes, she'd been average at best, or at least that's what she had told herself. She didn't need these women to shove it back in her face and tell her what she had already known for years.

"True." The second woman piped up. "Although, the male members of her team weren't too bad. They're relatively good-looking, for humans."

"Hm? Oh, yes definitely! I myself am quite partial to the red one."

"I suppose he's alright. Though if you ask me the yellow one . . ."

The women must've walked away because their voices slowly began to fade, until eventually Pidge could no longer hear them.

 _Good riddance._ She thought with a frown, though there was no real fire behind it.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Pidge slowly slid to the floor, her dress fanning around her as she leaned her back against the stone wall. For a long moment she sat there, wallowing in self-pity as the women's words continued to ring in her head, resisting the urge to cry. She was a paladin of Voltron for crying out loud! What would the guys say if they saw her like this?

Suddenly, as if a match had been struck, her sorrow morphed into anger, lashing out like a wild animal at the thought of the two women, and her hands curled into fists. Because how _dare_ they, she thought furiously, clamping her eyes shut as she tried to ignore the building pressure behind her eyelids. How dare they talk about her as if they knew everything about her! Who were they to judge? You would think after saving their planet they would be a little more grateful!

But it still didn't change the fact that what they said was true.

Her anger fading, Pidge rested her forehead against her knees, trying to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. Tears, which she had been valiantly holding back until now, gathered in the corners of her eyes, and much to her shame one silently rolled down her cheek.

At that moment, she missed her family more than ever. What she wouldn't give to be in her parents' arms right now.

The sound of the balcony door opening and closing caused her to look up, and the next thing she knew Keith was making his way towards her, uncertainly cradling two glasses filled with a strange pink liquid in his hands.

"So, I wasn't quite sure what to get, but I saw Hunk drinking this so it can't be that ba—" Keith's rambling came to a halt when his eyes landed on her, and he froze, brows furrowing as he stared at her with a mixture of concern and mild alarm. His voice was noticeably gentler when he said, "Pidge, you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." She quickly assured him when she realized he had saw her crying, and she wiped her arm across her eyes. "Just got something in my eye."

Keith frowned, and Pidge instantly knew he wasn't buying it.

"You and I both know that's not true." He said firmly as he knelt down in front of her, placing their drinks down off to the side. His violet-gray eyes studied her face carefully underneath his bangs, undoubtedly noticing the unshed tears in her eyes before asking, "What happened?"

"Nothing." She snapped, suddenly feeling annoyed by his persistence. "Just drop it, okay?"

Keith's frown tightened at her reply, and as he watched her something shifted in his gaze. He bit his lip, looking almost uncomfortable and unsure as he moved to sit by her, and he hesitantly reached out to place a warm hand on her shoulder.

"I know I'm not as good at this as the others, but you know you can. . . talk to me, right?" He began slowly, uncertainly fumbling over his words and looking incredibly awkward despite himself.

Pidge almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Keith, her stoic, socially inept teammate, was trying to comfort her.

Despite her gloomy deposition, a small smile formed on Pidge's lips.

"I know." She said with a small sniff.

Keith seemed relieved at this, but at the same time his brows furrowed at her one-worded reply. He studied her for a moment—undoubtedly wondering what was bothering her—before a dark look suddenly crossed his features.

"It wasn't that stupid prince, was it?" He asked her, looking one step away from murderous.

Pidge snorted. "No, it wasn't." She bit her lip before continuing, voice wavering slightly, "It's dumb really. I shouldn't be making a big deal out of nothing."

"It's not nothing if it makes you this upset, Pidge." Keith told her honestly, yet firmly. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Heaving out a small sigh, Pidge nervously bit her lip before she slowly began to tell him what happened after he had left, and soon the words were tumbling out of mouth, unable to stop now that there was someone who wanted to listen. She spoke about the two women she'd overheard, her eavesdropping on them, and their hurtful words. Keith watched her quietly as she continued, his face perfectly blank as he listened. She told him everything, and as she finished she realized with a start that small tears were trailing down her cheeks. Mortified, Pidge furiously wiped them away.

"So, yeah, that's what happened." She said lamely, unsure what to say now that her story was fully laid out before them. She hugged her knees closely to her chest. "I _know_ it's stupid, but—"

"It's not stupid."

Blinking, Pidge glanced over at the red paladin surprise. Keith wasn't looking at her, though. His lips were pressed into a hard line, and his eyes were downcast. He seemed deep in thought, his mind far away, lost in a distant memory.

The look disappeared a second later, and then he staring at her.

"Words hurt." He told simply, and for a moment there seemed to be a hidden pain in his eyes as he stared at her with understanding. "I should know. When I was younger, kids used to say things to me all the time because I was foster kid."

"I'm sorry." She said softly, inwardly amazed that he would even tell her something so personal.

Keith shrugged. "It is what it is. Just . . . don't let it drag you down, yeah?"

"Yeah." Pidge bit her lip. Deep inside she knew Keith was right, but she still couldn't get those women's words out of her head.

Keith eyed her out of the corner of his eye, noticing her still morose expression, and frowned.

"They were right about one thing, though."

Pidge sharply glanced over at the red paladin, her heart sinking at his words. Keith was staring straight, refusing to meet her gaze, and he shifted nervously under her penetrating gaze.

"You're not pretty—"

Pidge sent him a hurt look, both stunned and horrified that he would even say such a thing—!

"—You're beautiful."

Pidge's brain immediately came to a crashing halt once Keith's words registered in her mind, her previous hurtful expression melting away when she realized that _Keith_ had called her _beautiful_.

Beautiful! Her!

She was openly gaping at him now, but Keith was still stubbornly staring straight ahead, his back rim-rod straight, and his face unreadable.

What Pidge wouldn't give to see what was going on inside his mind.

Instead, she merely smiled, and sent him a grateful look, touched by his kind words.

"Thank you, Keith."

Keith immediately relaxed, and a distant part of Pidge amusedly wondered if he had thought she was going to hit him for calling her beautiful.

"You're, uh, welcome." Keith mumbled back, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, before pushing himself up off the ground.

Pidge moved to follow him, but paused when a familiar song once again began to play from inside the castle. Tilting her head, she turned to stare at the balcony door, listening to the low beat of the drums.

It was the Damhsa de Amare.

Keith must've noticed her slight change in her behavior, because he curiously glanced between her and the door.

"Do you want to go back inside?" He asked, though the mere idea of joining the party seemed to physically pain him.

Pidge laughed softly at his expression, and though she had considered returning to the celebration, she shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'm good."

Keith seemed inexplicably relieved by her answer, and she bit back another amused grin. He then became thoughtful, and she curiously watched as his violet-gray eyes lit up underneath the dim lighting of the three moons.

"Then let's leave."

Blinking confusedly from her spot on the ground, Pidge gave him an incredulous look.

"And go where?" She asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Keith pondered over her words for a moment, contemplating. And then, as if struck by lightning, a determined look entered his gaze, and a rare, yet familiarly reckless smirk tugged at his lips. Pidge was instantly on edge as she stared at her teammate, suspicious. She knew that look. It was the same look he had worn on the first day she had met him, just before he had drove them right over a cliff.

It was also the same look he got when he was about to pull a very dangerous move that would undoubtedly give Shiro more gray hair and cause Allura to scold him for hours.

"How about a late night race against Red and Green?" He suggested, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, and Pidge tilted her head, considering the idea.

It would be incredibly reckless driving in the dark this late at night. She could already see Shiro's disappointed frown and Allura's murderous expression when they found out—and they _would_. But at the same time she couldn't help but feel excited. They were always so busy trying to save the galaxy—and finding her family—that they never had any time to stop and have pure, simple fun. Pidge couldn't lie; the idea of flying around in her lion for once without the fear of being shot at was too enticing to ignore.

But, her genius mind pointed out, if they were going to get in trouble for it, might as well make it somewhat worthwhile.

"Stakes?" She inquired with a small smirk of her own.

"Loser has to help wash the winner's lion."

Pidge inwardly grimaced. The lions had gotten fairly dirty after their battle with the Galra yesterday. Getting them clean again would be quite the chore.

But if she somehow managed to win . . .

"Deal." She quickly agreed.

Keith nodded, still grinning as he suddenly held out his hand for her to take.

"Then let's go."

Pidge blinked at his offered hand, surprised by the somewhat gentlemanly gesture. Hesitantly, she placed her small hand in his larger one, his palm warm against her skin, and her stomach gave a strange flip as he pulled her to her feet. Releasing her hand, he gave her a small, rare smile, and Pidge instantly fought down a blush, internally grateful that they were outside where it was dark and he couldn't see the slight redness of her cheeks.

The next thing she knew, she was following Keith as they snuck away from the party, and if her heart fluttered in her chest every time Keith's eyes met her's, she wisely kept it to herself.

* * *

 **And that's the first chapter! Since this is a one-shot series, every chapter from here on out may or may not be in chronological order. The first chapter is basically meant to show off the beginning of the relationship.**

 **Please review! For the most part, they determine if I continue or not.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Iscea**


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